The Internet2 Health Sciences Initiative supports and facilitates the use of advanced networking applications in clinical practice, medical and related biological research, education, and health awareness. In 2007, Internet2 launched the Healthcare Network Initiative (HNI) to support the advanced networking activities of the health sciences community. An initial focus of HNI has been the FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program (RHCPP). The FCC RHCPP is an enhanced funding initiative intended to help public and non-profit health care providers construct state- and region-wide broadband networks to provide telehealth and telemedicine services throughout the nation. The program will fund up to 85% of the costs of constructing those networks, as well as the costs of advanced telecommunications and information services that will ride over these networks.
Beginning with the FCC order in the fall of 2006, Internet2 has convened experts from the research and education (R&E) community, regional networking organizations, and the health sciences to help understand the requirements, services, and resources needed to take full advantage of this program. In November 2007, the FCC announced the grant recipients of the RHCPP. The grants will provide funding to forward-thinking public and non-profit health care providers in 42 states and 3 U.S. territories to help establish 69 state and regional broadband networks dedicated to health care services as well as enable these networks to connect to nationwide advanced R&E networks like Internet2.
The new nationwide Internet2 Network connects close to 50,000 R&E institutions and extends the most robust capabilities that are uniquely suited for healthcare and health sciences applications that require reliability and consistent performance. Providing connectivity to health networks across the country is a natural extension of Internet2's existing network capabilities and complements its members' ongoing work in the health sciences arena. As the FCC Rural Health Care Pilot Program moves now from the proposal phase into implementation, Internet2 will continue a facilitating role in coordinating with the FCC and convening this expanded community of health-care providers to work with the existing Internet2 institutional and regional network members under the Internet2 Health Network Initiative.